John McCain Speaks To NRA Members, Disappoints

Some at the annual NRA meetings and exhibition in Louisville say Sen. John McCain, one of the three presidential candidates left standing who swear they support the 2A, was a disappointment. Here is the text of McCain's remarks, as issued by his press office prior to the National Rifle Association appearance.

Here is one key observation:

From Sebastian -- "I wasn’t really all that happy with the McCain speech. I think he could have, well, really should have, hit this one out of the park. McCain has a real problem with the base, and coming to speak to the NRA regulars, the die-hards, and saying you want to shut down private sales, is not a great way to endear yourself to them."

Even the Los Angeles Times picked up on the concern -- "Many gun rights advocates are still enraged that McCain supports efforts to close the so-called gun show loophole, which allows people who buy guns from unlicensed dealers at gun shows to avoid criminal background checks required during gun sales from licensed dealers. In 2000, when Oregon and Colorado voters were considering ballot measures on the issue, McCain appeared in a television ad, saying the loophole allowed felons to buy guns later used in crimes."

The Buffalo News, on the other hand, says McCain was a hit -- "In front of a crowd of about 6,000 people who gave him two standing ovations, McCain also mocked Democratic Sen. Barack Obama as a liberal, anti-gun politician and made a direct appeal to the “bitter” voters Obama said were clinging to their “guns and religion” to soothe concerns about their economic struggles. “The Second Amendment isn’t some archaic custom that matters only to rural Americans who find solace in firearms out of frustration with their economic circumstances,” McCain said."

Um, lets correct the Los Angeles Times statement right now. People like myself, or a mom selling her grand-dad's shotgun are not "unlicensed dealers." In fact, we are not dealers at all. We are private citizens selling something from our garage or attic. That would be like calling people who have a garage sale "unlicensed dealers" of junk, unlike the "licensed dealers" (peddler's license or tax cert) of junk who show up each week to flea markets.

But I digress. McCain is right that is will be a better supporter of the Second Amendment than his democrat rivals . . . but it won't be much better.